With 130,000 passengers expected to pass through Malta International Airport this festive season, it seems as though holiday-makers will get just the warm and dry Christmas they’ve been dreaming of this year, as they leave the cold weather and the snow behind.

The Meteorological Office is forecasting a slightly warmer but windier Christmas weekend than those recorded during the past few years, so those looking to get some last-minute holiday shopping done this weekend can do so without worrying about covering up their fancy, festive outfits with layers of clothes.

Sunday is expected to be mainly cloudy, with temperatures reaching 17°C and dropping to 13°C. The day will be characterised by a moderate to strong wind blowing from a northwesterly direction. A moderate to strong northwesterly wind is also forecast for Christmas Day, while a light northerly wind is forecast for Boxing Day.

Between Christmas Eve and Boxing Day, temperatures are forecast to lie in the range of a maximum of 18°C and a minimum of 9°C. While this Christmas is set to be slightly warmer than average, the warmest Christmas on record was that of 2009, when the maximum temperature reached was 23.6°C; 5.5 degrees warmer than what is forecast for this year’s holiday.

The Maltese islands are accustomed to warm weather during the holidays, and one and all have come to look forward to waking up to bright, sunny mornings on the 25th of December. With that said, Malta has come close to freezing over during the holidays in the past, when the lowest temperature on Christmas Day was recorded as an icy 3.7°C in 1986.